Vietnam may evict bears from 'protected' park land

In this photo taken Oct. 29, 2012, a bear plays inside an enclosure with a stick at the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center in Tam Dao, Vietnam. The bears, some of them blinded or maimed, play behind tall green fences like children at school recess. Rescued from Asia's bear bile trade, they were brought to live in this lush national park, but now they may need saving once more. The future of the $2 million center is in doubt after Vietnam's vice defense minister in July ordered it not to expand further and to find another location, saying the valley is of strategic military interest. Critics allege the park director is urging an eviction because he has a financial stake in a proposed ecotourism venture on park property - accusations he rejects. (AP Photo/Mike Ives)
— AP

In this photo taken Oct. 29, 2012, a bear plays inside an enclosure with a stick at the Vietnam Bear Rescue Center in Tam Dao, Vietnam. The bears, some of them blinded or maimed, play behind tall green fences like children at school recess. Rescued from Asia's bear bile trade, they were brought to live in this lush national park, but now they may need saving once more. The future of the $2 million center is in doubt after Vietnam's vice defense minister in July ordered it not to expand further and to find another location, saying the valley is of strategic military interest. Critics allege the park director is urging an eviction because he has a financial stake in a proposed ecotourism venture on park property - accusations he rejects. (AP Photo/Mike Ives)
/ AP

"He wants to take half the land, and he can't get it, and that's why he's creating all this trouble for us," Bendixsen said of the park director.

In September 2011, Do Dinh Tien asked the agriculture ministry to approve separate plans by three companies, including Truong Giang, to develop ecotourism in Tam Dao's national park, according to documents given to the AP.

Documents show that days earlier, Truong Giang had asked Tien for permission to lease 48 hectares of land in Tam Dao for an "ecological tourism and entertainment project." Truong Giang's registration papers list Tien's daughter, Do Thi Ngan, as one of its four shareholders.

Ngan and officials at the agriculture and defense ministries declined to comment.

In an interview, Tien declined to discuss his daughter's relationship to the company, saying he has not yet discussed the matter with her. But he insisted he has never lobbied for the company's interests.

"From my perspective, the bear center can go ahead if it follows procedures," Tien said recently at park headquarters. "But I can't speak for the Ministry of Defense."

State media say the agriculture ministry is working with the central government to resolve the dispute. The prime minister has final say over the bear center's fate.

National Assembly Deputy Duong Trung Quoc was quoted by online newspaper Vietnamnet Wednesday as saying evicting the bear center could anger the international community.